


Soy Triple Berry Passion Tea with Extra Vanilla

by sempaiko



Series: COFFEE SHOP AU [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Coffee Shops, M/M, cuz it's my favorite AU ok, human!zeb, kalluzeb - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:42:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23421868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sempaiko/pseuds/sempaiko
Summary: Zeb almost never went into an I.S.B. -the International Sheevbucks Brewing company- if he could help it. They were a big corporate machine with a store on every block and he much preferred to support the small mom and pop stores. So why was he in one currently? More specifically the store on Imperial boulevard?"A soy triple berry passion tea with extra vanilla?" A baritone, accented voice asked when he sidled up to the register.He was currently in an I.S.B. NOT for the soy triple berry passion tea with extra vanilla, but because the evening barista here was very, VERY hot.
Relationships: Alexsandr Kallus & Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios, Alexsandr Kallus/Garazeb "Zeb" Orrelios
Series: COFFEE SHOP AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1747339
Comments: 21
Kudos: 227





	Soy Triple Berry Passion Tea with Extra Vanilla

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a ficlet to accompany my artwork on tumblr... but as I was writing it, it got a bit away from me. Now it's long enough to warrant me putting it here, so enjoy! Coffee shop is my favorite AU, my indulgent modern day AU. There's only I think a handful of them in the Kalluzeb fandom? I have to fix that by adding more!

Zeb almost never went into an I.S.B. -the International Sheevbucks Brewing company- if he could help it. They were a big corporate machine with a store on every block and he much preferred to support the small mom and pop stores. So why was he in one currently? More specifically the store on Imperial boulevard?

"A soy triple berry passion tea with extra vanilla?" A baritone, accented voice asked when he sidled up to the register. 

He was currently in an I.S.B. _not_ for the soy triple berry passion tea with extra vanilla, but because the evening barista here was very, _very_ hot.

"You remembered," Zeb stated, trying not to get lost in those honey-brown eyes. His gaze darted down to the wallet in his hands so it wouldn't seem too obvious that he had been staring.

"You're kind of hard to forget, especially with that _signature_ look," the barista said, a tease to his voice. What was this then? This was different.

Zeb looked back up and saw the hint of a smirk playing on the usually tight and serious mouth. He was eyeing his hoodie. "It's comfy," Zeb defended, his go-to answer slipping easily from his lips. 

"Purple zebra print?" He said slowly.

"It's _real_ comfy," Zeb emphasized, scrunching his shoulders in.

"Fair enough," conceded the man who was just too handsome for his own good to be working in a coffee shop, in Zeb's own opinion.

He used his card to pay for his drink and slipped his wallet back into his pants pocket. He didn't need to be told the total, he knew exactly what it was since he had ordered it about 10 times now. The barista also didn't bother telling him the total, he noticed; it was like he knew that he knew and didn't feel the need to deal with the unnecessary. 

"It'll be right up," he told Zeb with a curt nod and went to work on his drink, a few blond locks of hair falling forward. Zeb had never had a thing for hair before, but he was beginning to see the appeal. He simultaneously wanted to gently tuck that hair behind an ear and also know what it felt like to grab a handful of it while he--

Zeb cut the thought off short as he ran a hand through his own hair, the short cropped locks bristling against his palm like a soft brush. It was a nervous habit, but he really couldn't help it. He looked around the coffee shop, seeing that it was pretty much vacant at the moment, a few younger types on their computers in the corner nursing their triple shots of whatever so-and-such; anything with plenty of caffeine. They all had headphones on. 

Zeb had approximately 1 minute to get the nerve up to say something more to the handsome barista, before he was finished making his drink. He practically had an opening. He had said more to him today than any other time he had been in. Now to just think of something witty and charming to say while he stood at the end of the counter, trying hard not to pick at his sleeves. 

"So, where does one even _get_ a purple zebra printed hoodie anyway?" 

Wait, he wasn't talking to him was he? Zeb looked up, surprised that the barista was initiating the conversation and not him. "It was a gift," Zeb replied, the earnest answer a result of being thrown off guard. 

Something flashed across the barista's usually controlled and concentrated face. He was finishing up his drink with a deliberateness now. "A gift? From a girlfriend of yours?"

Zeb almost laughed out loud. "Nah, nothing like that. Don't really swing towards girls anyway." There was the smallest pause, Zeb noticed, in the man's hands as he worked. 

"I see," the man said and Zeb _swore_ he saw a blush. Before he could concentrate on the way that rosy hue accented his subtle freckles, he was being handed his drink. 

Both of their hands lingered at the tradeoff. Now Zeb was sure _he_ was blushing too, but his darker features hid it better, he hoped. He _also_ hoped he wasn't being too forward, but he _wasn't_ going to miss this sudden opportunity to engage with someone who he was pretty sure was the man of his dreams. At least the sexy ones, anyway. 

"It was a gift from my family, actually. They're kinda… not around anymore. So I wear it to think of them mostly, which is a lot," Zeb explained, with his usual open honesty. He almost scolded himself for it though, when his revelation seemed to startle the other man. He was just the _worst_ at flirting.

"I am very sorry for bringing it up," the blond said with an almost stricken look. Zeb bit the inside of his mouth, berating himself. 

"Don't be! Please, don't be," Zeb reassured quickly. "It doesn't bother me to talk about it. Not anymore."

Zeb was almost afraid he had ruined everything, when the other man was quiet and contemplative for a moment. He then reached into his shirt and pulled out a silver chain with dog tags and let it lay over his chest, the metal softly clinking against his nametag that read: Alex.

"You military?" Zeb asked, carefully neutral. 

"Was. Honorably discharged. I was the only survivor of my unit. Like you, I still wear this to think of them, even though I no longer serve and it was years ago." He tucked the chain back into his shirt. 

"Sorry," Zeb offered, not sure what else to add to that admission. They were more alike than he would have ever hoped. He wanted to know more about Alex, the ex-military barista with hair that looked straight from a commercial. 

"It's alright. It doesn't bother me to talk about it anymore, either." Alex leaned a hip on the counter, and he looked down at his folded arms a moment. "Time heals all wounds, as they say."

"Lots of therapy too."

Alex let out an infectiously cute chuckle. It was low and throaty and Zeb's ears practically tingled at the noise. "Yes, that too."

Their eyes met and Zeb felt a pleasant shiver run up his spine. He was sure the other man had felt something similar. They were getting on very well, Zeb mused happily, the thrill of it almost making him jittery. 

"Don't mean to offend, we've all been in tight spots, but what are _you_ doing working _here_?" Zeb asked, genuinely curious. Other than being ridiculously good-looking, this Alex was out of place in the coffee shop, even more so now that he knew more about him. 

The other man leaned towards Zeb across the counter, to talk low and conspiratorially, even though no one else was around them. "I've always wanted to own a coffee and tea shop of my own. But to do that I needed to… do a bit of research of my own." 

Realization dawned on his face. "I get it," he said slowly, "you're spying on the competition, from the inside. Learning all their secrets and whatnot." 

Alex nodded and Zeb felt his heart begin to bloom with affection for this surprise of a man. He had never been more grateful for stepping through that door on a whim for something cool to drink one night after a long jog. 

"You're somethin' else," Zeb said with appreciation. 

"Thank you," he replied and straightened back up. "Now that you know all _my_ secrets, how about you? Where do you work? You can't be a spy as well can you?" 

"Nah. Nothing as sneaky and smart as what you're doing here. I'm a personal trainer at the Phoenix Gym down the road. You should drop by sometime, get some tips from my friends about starting your own business. They practically built the place from the ground up."

"Sounds lovely." 

"Great!" Zeb couldn't contain himself. "By the way, the name's Zeb."

"Is that short for Garazeb?"

"H-how'd you know?" Zeb eyed him, skeptically. He knew he was good, hell he was spying on the competition from the inside, but was he _that_ good?

"Your credit card," Alex said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. 

"Oh right." Zeb rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. "And you're Alex, right?"

"Short for Alexsandr," he said with a bit of cheek. Zeb loved the way his full name sounded, though. 

A movement from the window broke both of their attentions. Zeb saw a flood of people coming down the street, a group of them making their way towards the entrance; the night school had just gotten out. The barista gave a defeated sigh, eyeing the group warily. 

"See you tomorrow, then?" Alexsandr asked him, looking hopeful despite the fact he was about to be inundated with work for the next while. 

"Can't get these anywhere else," Zeb said and held up his drink, giving it a small shake. The ice rattled around amidst the berries. 

He gave him a deadpanned glare, unamused. "There's _literally_ another I.S.B. across the street.

"Not made by you," Zeb countered with a wink. The other man was blushing again and it just made him grin wider. "See ya later!"

For some reason, his soy triple berry passion tea with extra vanilla tasted better than it ever did before. He was still sipping it when he got to the gym. He hoped when Alexsandr opened his own shop, he would have a similar drink, so he could have an excuse to go in and chat up the hot owner. Zeb was still smiling to himself even when he tossed the empty cup in the bin. He was already craving another.

He wondered how late the I.S.B. on Imperial boulevard stayed open... 

  
  
  


* * *

~Human!Zeb and the purple zebra hoodie!~

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> By the way... they totally made out in the storage room of the Sheevbucks later that night.
> 
> Scream at me about Kalluzeb on Tumblr! Also the art is posted there.


End file.
